NASA’s 4G Moon Shot
 
Ok, so this is weird, even by Washington, D.C. standards.  The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) wants to build a taxpayer-funded internet network…on the Moon. It’s always reassuring to hear that federal agencies have their priorities in order. As the budget deficit for this year tops $4 trillion (or more than $30,000 per family) the Trump administration and NASA thought it was a good idea to build out an internet network on the lunar surface. On October 19, Quartz contributor Nicolás Rivero reported, “NASA has selected Nokia as the official cellular provider to the moon. The Finnish telco won a $14.1 million contract to build a 4G LTE base station on the moon by 2022 as part of the Artemis program, NASA’s effort to establish a sustained human presence on its nearest celestial neighbor.” This, of course, is just the cherry on top of a larger mission to bring Americans back to the Moon after nearly fifty years. 
 
America’s space agency is slated to spend $28 billion in its effort to ferry astronauts 240,000 miles to the lunar surface. But there are already troubling signs that taxpayers will be on the line for more than which NASA bargained. In March, NASA’s Inspector General examined the agency’s management of the Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket tasked with launching the future Moon crew into outer space. The watchdog notes, “the Program exceeded its Agency Baseline Commitment (ABC) by at least 33 percent at the end of FY 2019, a figure that could reach 43 percent or higher if additional delays push the launch date for Artemis I beyond November 2020.”
 
But somehow, taxpayers are supposed to believe that the Artemis Program and the corresponding lunar LTE network will happen on time and won’t break the bank. Judging by the government’s experience in contracting out government-owned networks (GONs) here on Earth, fiscal accountability is unlikely. TPA’s recent report on taxpayer-funded broadband projects finds that GONs break the bank without providing reliable internet. The city of Salisbury, North Carolina had to borrow $40 million to construct their GON project but was only able to recoup about $8 million from broadband operations. Meanwhile, the broadband project was only used by 16.7 percent of residents.  Across the country, GONs only reach about a third of potential broadband consumers living in the municipalities that have built these networks. Granted, on the Moon subscribership likely wouldn’t be an issue – since Nokia’s network would be the only game in town. But the failure of GONs speak to serious cost and reliability issues that surely wouldn’t be any better on the lunar surface than down here on Earth. 
 
Now is a particularly tough time to ask taxpayers to foot large bills for space endeavors that probably won’t even lead to much in the way of scientific discovery. Instead of blowing hard-earned taxpayer dollars on lunar LTE, policymakers should clear the way for the private sector to close the digital divide here on Earth to help truly unserved Americans get the access they need to the digital domain. Watching Netflix or ordering an Uber on the Moon can wait.
 
The Postal Sky Isn’t Falling
 
Since becoming Postmaster General (PMG) on June 15, Louis DeJoy has been accused of everything from election interference to killing baby chickens. As is often the case in this hyper-charged and uber-partisan era, truthful and nuanced takes have taken a backseat to baseless conspiracies. Postal conspiracizing peaked in August as politicians, pundits and even famed musicians accused DeJoy and President Donald Trump of trying to dismantle the United States Postal Service (USPS). Well, it’s been about two months since this fact-free postalpalooza, and now there’s new data out on mail deliveries before, during, and after DeJoy implemented operating reforms. While mail did (slightly) slow down in July mainly due to the pandemic, delivery speeds have rebounded since then. Instead of embracing fearmongering and conspiracies, policymakers should identify USPS’ real problems and call for postal reform. While still not at pre-pandemic levels, mail delivery speeds have significantly improved since the summer. According to service performance data for the week of Oct. 3, 86.15 percent of first-class mail and 89.17 percent of marketing mail were delivered on time. That’s a marked improvement from those categories’ respective on-time percentages of around 83 percent and 80 percent during mid-July. And, the agency reports, “for first-class mail and marketing mail, 98.00 percent and 97.67 percent of mailpieces respectively reached their intended destination within two days of the service standard.” The USPS is also embracing its outsized role in the upcoming election and has processed roughly 98 percent of election mail on time. Sure, on-time percentages for virtually all categories of mail are significantly down this year. This cannot be helped because a devastating pandemic sidelined thousands of postal workers. 
 
The number of postal workers quarantined significantly decreased from mid-April to mid-June, only to spike over the summer. This surge in postal COVID-19 cases to unprecedented levels reflected national case trends. Coronavirus cases skyrocketed across the country starting in mid-June before declining again in late-July. This surge in cases also happened to coincide with PMG DeJoy taking the helm of the USPS on June 15.Thus, any changes made by the PMG – such as eliminating billions of dollars’ worth of overtime expenses – were bound to be blamed for any USPS slowdown. But as detailed data from The New York Times shows, the percentage of mail delivered late spiked at least two weeks before DeJoy implemented major changes such as curtailing overtime. 
 
The data makes clear that these orders and injunctions have little to do with the USPS’ on-time changes. According to The New York Times’ analysis, the agency’s on-time percentages started to improve around the start of August and steadily increased throughout that month. This improvement lines up with nationwide COVID-19 cases, which started to decline shortly before on-time percentages started increasing. But, it’s difficult for policymakers to admit they’re wrong after investing so heavily in bunk theories about DeJoy kneecapping the USPS. Lawmakers should focus on getting the agency’s $160 billion debt under control, instead of clinging onto conspiracies and baseless allegations.
 
BLOGS:
   
Monday: True Justice Reform Must Include Performance-Based Contracting

Tuesday: Watchdog: DOJ Antitrust Case Against Google is Flawed, Politically Charged 

 
MEDIA:
 
October 3, 2020: The Tennessee Star (Nashville, Tenn.) quoted TPA in their article, “New Poll Seems to Contradict U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander on Surprise Medical Billing.”
 
October 16, 2020: The Center Square ran TPA’s op-ed, “The sky isn’t falling; postal delivery rates rebounding.”
 
October 17, 2020: Townhall.com ran TPA’s op-ed, “True Justice Reform Must Include Performance-Based Contracting.”
 
October 19, 2020:  WBFF (Fox, Baltimore) interviewed me about sports betting in Maryland.
 
October 19, 2020: The Center Square ran TPA’s op-ed, “More wireless spectrum means more connectivity.”
 
October 19, 2020:  I appeared on “The Steve Gruber Show” on WJIM 1240 (Grand Rapids, Michigan) to  talk about Medicare for All and socialized medicine.
 
October 20, 2020:  WBFF (Fox, Baltimore) quoted TPA in their article, “Young's expansion plan is 'insulting to voters', GOP council president candidate says.”
 
October 20, 2020:  Issues & Insights ran TPA’s op-ed, “Politicizing A COVID-19 Vaccine Is Short-Sighted And Dangerous.”
 
October 22, 2020:  I appeared on WBOB Radio (600 AM AND 101 FM Jacksonville, Fla.) to talk about the economy.
 
October 22, 2020:  WBFF (Fox, Baltimore) interviewed me about a potential tax increase on e-cigarettes.
 
October 22, 2020: I appeared on “The Lars Larson Show” (nationally syndicated) to discuss 5G nationalization. 
 

Have a great weekend, stay safe, and as always, thanks for your continued support.


Best,
David Williams
President
Taxpayers Protection Alliance
1401 K Street, NW
Suite 502
Washington, D.C. xxxxxx
www.protectingtaxpayers.org